The Inspiration

Ok I did have the fabric first, it had been rust and compost dyed, but didn't know it's potential until Rick gave me this beautiful slab of green quartzite. Front and Back shots.

In Progress

Here's a half way in progress view.

Update

Green Quartzite front detail

Update

Green Quartzite piece in progress.

Backing Fabric

I found the perfect piece of fabric for my Green Quartzite piece, it's indigo dyed and looks as if there is a face on the fabric so I will probably be quilting it from the back side ;-) This will be a first for me, but hey there's a first time for everything.

In the spirit of keeping my sanity, I've given myself permission to quilt and stitch like a madd woman. I've come to the conclusion that working 16 hour days is not getting me anywhere in life, except older and with more regrets - so I am returning to my studio, even if it is only for a week.

More yummy fabric

Two pieces of silk fabric that were natural dye painted and rusted together in tandem. They are next on my list for finishing.

Red Stone Falls

This piece has been in progress for over a year now. I've been working on it mainly when I'm on the road traveling.

Green Quartzite - In progress

This piece is based on a piece of green quartzite rock that was given to me this fall. I had the fabric first, then came along the rock and WOW they could be twins. Anyway... Compost dyed, rust dyed cotton fabric. Now to find a piece of quilt batting and maybe I'll have her done by the morning. the piece is approximately 31 x 36 inches.

One sick kitty

Hopefully the vet will be available tomorrow morning. Aside from cleaning his ears I have yet to figure out what it is that's making Pepper so sick. He was fine yesterday, after I cleaned his ears. One of the perks of his being ill is he is very affectionate right now, but I have to admit I miss his spit fire spunkiness.

This is one siamese that came dressed as a tabby cat. As a general rule I don't like siamese cats, have had way too many bad experiences with them, so I tell everyone that God pulled one over on me when He gave me Pepper because he's a siamese dressed as a tabby! His mother was full siamese, and if you look at him in the correct light you can see his seal points. When he was a kitten I kept trying to wash the dirt off of his face, he was a farm cat rescue, turns out chocoalte seal points don't wash off but they have faded, and considerably so, over the past five years now.

He's definately a daddy's boy ;-) Here he is about half asleep, and purring very loudly, in John's arms.

Mark Making with Nature

Mark Making with Nature

Now $49.00 Reduced from $75.00
Now through December 31st, 2006

Over 2 hours of video workshop material on 4 discs.

Included is an additional CDROM with a 53-page book describing the techniques used in the video. This book is jam packed with color images demonstrated in the video.

Create unique marks on cloth using nature as your tool and inspiration.

Learn how to use Natural Dyes for:
Screenprinting
Monoprinting
Compost Dyeing
Dye Painting
Bound Resists and much, much more.

Rust and Clay Dyeing Book

Rust and Clay Dyeing Book with Video

Now $24.95 Reduced from $39.00
Now through December 31st!!!

PDF Book on CD-ROM with 4 embedded video clips demonstrating technqiues taught in the book.

Welcome to Hell

I have one half dead cat - and all of the local vets are closed until Monday, one completely dead computer (this is my main business computer I'm referring to with all of the order information on it) 37 orders that are Missing in Action via the USPS and tomorrow is Turkey Day.

Happy Holidays everyone!!! Here's hoping yours will be much better than mine. If I get my bathroom cleaned I'm going to take a long hot soak in the tub.

And this is why

I have to keep my studio cleaned and organized! I've spent the better part of four hours looking for a pile of a fat quarters to execute my new ideas with and cannot find them - anywhere!!!

I know sigh, take a deep breath and keep looking. Who knows where I put them at this point, I've looked everywhere for this pile of fabric - it's compost dyed fabric and the colors/patterns are to dye for, and I really wanted to use them in a project this afternoon. They must be hiding intentionally hoping for a better project in the future.

Xmas Exchange

This is what I recieved from Von Biggs for the Surfacing List Xmas Exchange. My camera just doesn't do his fabric justice~! There are two absolutely to die for silk scarves, a hank of yarn/fibers and two seperate pieces of fabric equalling a fat quarters worth of fabric, and a vial of glass beads.

I'm not used to this intense of a color palette, though it does remind me a lot of the sunsets here. Thank you so much Von!

I'm off to corral a tabby cat now.

Of Squirrels and Men

Ok this is more excitement than what I need in one day, let alone a week. I went to the attic with hubby to help install the newly created attic window - we have found that after a hundred years they start to fall out of the house.

Anyway... I hear some rustling behind me, I turn around, and there in one of the hanging wardrobes, envision plastic vinyle closet and you are there, and there is a squirrel looking at me. Well actually it was leaping towards me. It's amazing how fast a person with bad knees can move when a rodent is flying at you! I moved it hit the newly installed window and proceeded to bounce everywhere in the attic. I screamed and fled the attic. Feed me fish head stew anyday but squirrel wrangling and I'm outta here.

So as I speak the neighbor is up in the attic helping hubby to chase said squirrel out of our attic. And what a ruckus they are making.

More Shelves

Hubby put up more shelves for me today, his perk is his woodworking books will now get to live in my library, where he can actually find them!

Of Men and Fish Head Stew

Or of Mice, Men and Chicken Feet Soup, either way I grossed my husband out to no end. My mother used to make fish head stew for us kids when we were little, and guessie what I've got cooking up right now! Yep fish head stew!

Anyway hubby was even further grossed out when he found out what chondroitan was really made of, various collagen bearing parts of chickens, cows, pigs and whatever else they can get their hands on. I'm thinking making chicken feet soup is a lot better, blanch the feet and peel the skin off first and then boil up with onion and garlic. Or turtle soup, boiled down until coagulating, to get the same exact affects, and at least you know where your collegan came from!

In Progress

Compost Dyed Cloth that I monoprinted over the top, it's long and tedious but well worth the effort. Fabric is Silk Charmuse, approximately 54" wide by 72" long. Yet another topic covered in the Mark Making with Nature DVD.

Ghost Ship

I created this piece specifically for the DVD Mark Making with Nature: Surface Design with Natural Dyes

Beads

10/0 Medium Green - partial pattern on strike-a-light bag

10/0 Dusty Purple and a Federal Blue (shiny pearl medium blue in the middle)

10/0 Deep rusty purple or a maroon color - I'm not sure if they are a dark rust, chocolate with a hint of purple, burgandy or what.

More Storage

My beloved hubby is putting more shelves up for me, I'm so excited~! This is my design studio, I'm finally going to have a place to put the rest of my books, aside from my studio floor. I'd take a pic but don't have my camera handy and I don't know how to retrieve images off of my cell phone so I will have to post pics later.